I think the other's have covered your questions. There are several choices. You could use a finishing resin like Z-poxy, Z-poxy and fiberglass, straight primer or water based poly with spackel. I have also used WBPU with baby powder on foam planes, although you will smell a little fresh when you get done sanding. Make sure the paint you use over your finishing filler is compatible and won't react with it. Let us know how it turns out.

GS

Originally Posted by jetmaven

Kurt , I use satin white rustoleum and finish it with PPG Shopline clear coat .
It’s a good , tough lite weight finish .
One mist coat of clear and ten minutes later , the gloss coat goes on .
Say hello to the sod farms for me

I had a problem using the Rustoleum. I don't know if it was a bad batch of spray paint I had. I had a creep problem after the first coat. It was very frustrating to me. I have painted many fuses in the past and never had this problem.

I used Krylon for many years but at some point they had changed their formula and it was a disaster as well. I just couldn't get it to gloss up like I use to.

I am switching to automotive Dupra-Color touch up paint. It appears you can only buy it on line these days (or at least near by me). It seems it was the paint of choice at some point for kids who wanted to deface public spaces so the local automotive places have stopped carrying it.

I will report back on my findings when I get to that point of my current build.

As for the sods, next time I go I will let them know you said HI.

Kurt

How do we find a rattle can that will match MonoKote or similar

Originally Posted by YellowJacketsRC

How do we find a rattle can that will match MonoKote or similar

Perfect match source here... available in rattle cans as well as for airbrushing. Great tutorial videos also.

http://wingswestrc.com/paint

Originally Posted by RCphotoguy

Perfect match source here... available in rattle cans as well as for airbrushing. Great tutorial videos also.

http://wingswestrc.com/paint

I didn't think this paint was still available.

Well, I have painted myself into a corner. I used Rustoleum 2X coverage primer on the fuse. I have waited a couple weeks... I have put the fuse on a closet for hours with a heater.... Nothing works. The paint simply stays slightly sticky and will not sand.

Unless someone has a suggestion, I think I need to figure out a chemical to use to remove it and start over?

Originally Posted by YellowJacketsRC

Well, I have painted myself into a corner. I used Rustoleum 2X coverage primer on the fuse. I have waited a couple weeks... I have put the fuse on a closet for hours with a heater.... Nothing works. The paint simply stays slightly sticky and will not sand.

Unless someone has a suggestion, I think I need to figure out a chemical to use to remove it and start over?

I wish I knew you were going to use the Rustoleum paint. I would have warned you to stay away. I had no luck with it. I had creep issues. I hated it. I was able to get to OK by wet sanding with 2000 grit but what a pain!

I am going back to automotive paint to see if I get better luck. I’m going to try Dupra-Color.

Kurt

So wet sanding? But was not the paint still tacky? How you fix that?

Originally Posted by YellowJacketsRC

So wet sanding? But was not the paint still tacky? How you fix that?

If you are changing out types of paint then use a solvent or paint remover.

Another step forward and another two back LOL... I removed the old primer and replaced with sandal primer. Got much joy!

Now I realize I have another issue. Although the elevator horn worked flawlessly before, it now has a 'spot' in it. About halfway through the movement, it catches on something inside. In one direction it's just a slight bump. In the other direction there is a significant bump. Definitely enough that a servo will be affected.

My best guess is that is is glue. At some point, one of the rudder hinges fell out. I am guessing that when I glued it back in using epoxy, some epoxy dripped down into the cavity and is causing the horn to bind on it. Of course it is only a guess.

Can any one offer advice on what to do before I haver to cut the fin in half? If I do haver to cut it in half, is there advice on exactly how to do it?

Originally Posted by YellowJacketsRC

Another step forward and another two back LOL... I removed the old primer and replaced with sandal primer. Got much joy!

Now I realize I have another issue. Although the elevator horn worked flawlessly before, it now has a 'spot' in it. About halfway through the movement, it catches on something inside. In one direction it's just a slight bump. In the other direction there is a significant bump. Definitely enough that a servo will be affected.

My best guess is that is is glue. At some point, one of the rudder hinges fell out. I am guessing that when I glued it back in using epoxy, some epoxy dripped down into the cavity and is causing the horn to bind on it. Of course it is only a guess.

Can any one offer advice on what to do before I haver to cut the fin in half? If I do haver to cut it in half, is there advice on exactly how to do it?

I'm afraid my friend you may have to open up the tail post. I would suggest low, near where the pushrod connects to the bottom of the elevator horn. I'd start with a small opening. It is not that difficult to fill in the hole with wood. I did a similar repair on my Aquila fuse where the previous owner installed the switch through the side of the fuse. Don't stress on the repair work to the opening you need to make. It is better to go that route than to ignore it.

Best of luck.

Kurt

Thanks Kurt. That helps. And yes I was stressing a bit. It's always a challenge to get everything repaired, not too heavy, and then smoothed out for seamless job in the end.

I opened up the very back of the fin. The area between the two hinges. I removed any and all bracing that was past that area (can't remember if there were actual braces there or not, but removed all remnants of balsa) so that I can see completely up in the cavity. I can not see past the control horn of course but I have the entire area clean and free.

After an exhaustive amount fo fiddling with it, I am now pretty sure what is going on. When I first put the metal control arm lineage into the golden rod control rod, I remember that the metal wire pushed the plastic golden rod out a bit, maki the diameter of the inner rod larger than it used to be. It caused binding. I think I must have sanded the inner rod down to allow free play. But at this point, I am 99% certain that there is a bit of binding going on there.

The control rod and horn move very freely throughout the entire movement, with the exception of a little bump right about the middle of the movement. It must be right where the end of the internal plastic rid comes in contact with the end of the external plastic rod. When I pull the control rod to the front (bringing the end of the inner tube all the way up into the outer rod) and then push it all the way aft, I can BARELY feel the bump. That is because the inner rod is coming OUT of the outer rod. But when I reverse the action, there is a more apparent bump as the end of the inner tube as to squeeze back into the outer tube.

I really do not want to open the thing up enough to rectify this issue. I am afraid that would require a very large hole. The control linkage will not be able to disconnect even if I do open up the entire side. So sanding the inner tube down will be quite tedious and POTENTIALLY not possible.

I am going to install the elevator servo and test the movement out. I believe at this point it moves freely enough that the servo may be able to easily 'ignore' the trouble spot.

Will post results.....

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING!

Servo does not even notice the bump.

Onward...

Originally Posted by YellowJacketsRC

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING!

Servo does not even notice the bump.

Onward...

Better to find out there is no problem on the ground than to have a problem at 1000’